§ Mr. Roy HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has any plans to relieve pensioners from standing charges for electricity.
§ Mr. Michael SpicerNo. Standing charges are the fairest means of recovering the industry's fixed costs in providing a supply of electricity. If pensioners were relieved of paying standing charges the unit rate of electricity for domestic consumers would need to rise by about 3.5 per cent. to recoup the lost revenue.